October 15th marks the end of Hispanic Heritage Month. It has been wonderful to witness the leadership of iSchool director, Anthony S. Chow, and president, Rosa Rodriguez, of REFORMA SJSU iSchool Student and Alumni Group lead the promotion of this celebration among the MLIS student community.
The REFORMA SJSU iSchool Student and Alumni Group officers responded to several questions posed to them, reflecting on how they are observing or would like to see the aims of REFORMA met within their communities and the iSchool. There’s even advice for new iSchool students who are interested in committing themselves to this work. Have a look…
What are you hoping to see in your own community that helps promote the goals of REFORMA?
Ana Arevalo, Marketing & Social Media Liaison – I hope to see improvement in library services, collection, and recruitment, leading to more bilingual and bi-cultural professionals in my community who promote the goals of REFORMA. Having bilingual and bi-cultural librarians helps develop services and programs that are inclusive to diverse communities. Library collections should have books that reflect and bring pride and awareness of Latinx and Spanish-speaking communities’ traditions and culture.
Sarah Wilson, Blog Editor – I would like to see more institutions in the community like Carlsbad’s Learning Library Center in southern California. For thirteen years this library has offered 30 programs a month in both Spanish and English, including concerts and a Spanish-language book club. The library is devoted to housing and developing a collection of Spanish, English, and bilingual materials. They also offer literacy instruction to all ages through their after school help and Adult Learning Program. During the COVID-19 pandemic they transitioned to virtual events to continue their outreach with the community.
Rosa Hughes de la Rosa, Vice President – I currently work at the Santa Clara County Law Library, where we serve members of the bench, members of the bar, and self representing litigants. Having bilingual staff that can direct patrons to the resources they seek is imperative for some patrons. Special libraries can benefit from REFORMA member staff who provide service with increased cultural and linguistic competence.
What is your dream career once you have your degree?
Ana Arevalo, Marketing & Social Media Liaison – My dream career is to be a children’s librarian. I want to serve Latinx and Spanish-speaking communities. With MILS, I can change policies and procedures that are poorly suited to serve underserved and marginalized communities. As a member of REFORMA, I plan to advocate and promote racial equity.
Lizette Lizardi, Webmaster – I’m not exactly sure what my dream career looks like but I think that’s ok. I’m open to several career paths. I think I’ll know where I’m meant to be when I’m happy at my job, excited for the work I do, and feel that the work we are doing has a positive impact in our community. Having said that, I would like to work either in a public library or a community college and I’d like to be involved in programming, outreach, and archiving. Public libraries are in a great position to do equity work and to empower their communities with information and resources. And community college libraries are in the unique position of supporting students as they transition into their next steps. I’d like to be involved in programming because part of the job is to get to know the community and their needs and that sounds exciting to me because it involves connecting with people. I’d also like to be involved in outreach because I see so much potential in partnerships within the community and, again, it involves connecting with people. Finally, I’d like to be involved in archiving because the work they do is exciting to me and because I feel archiving is very important, especially when preserving the history of voices that are rarely heard due to systemically discriminatory policies. Oh, and at some point I’d also like to teach information and media literacy or create guides that aid in assessing information found online and on social media.
Rosa Rodriguez, President – My dream is getting an Outreach Librarian position in an academic library. I would like to be an advocate for underrepresented students. As a first generation, Latinx, and transfer student who began her academic journey well into my 40’s I soon realized the importance of libraries. One of my professors recommended that I visit the library to get academic support. It was the best advice because I learned about all the resources available to students. I enjoy doing outreach and informing students about the many ways the library supports their academic journey.
What are/will you do as a professional to help advance the goals of REFORMA?
Rosa Hughes de la Rosa, Vice President – One of the best parts of being a REFORMA SJSU member has been the personal access we have to current librarians working in many different settings. REFORMA SJSU hosts Cafecitos, a sort of fireside chat, and those provide an opportunity to ask questions about the path an information professional took to their current job. All of these speakers have been inspiring and encouraging so I hope that once I become a librarian I am able to assist MLIS students in strategizing and considering career choices and opportunities.
What are some other ways you envision the iSchool supporting REFORMA?
Sarah Wilson, Blog Editor – I would like to see a connection forged between the SJSU’s Department of World Languages and Literature, the School of Information, and the REFORMA SJSU iSchool Student and Alumni group. A year before the group began in 2020, the iSchool began offering SPAN 132 Spanish for Careers, a beginning Spanish course to MLIS students. Having taken this course, I see this as an opportunity to network with the instructor and the students who enroll in the class, promoting REFORMA SJSU iSchool Student and Alumni group membership and events. The group could potentially offer informal Zoom sessions where enrolled students are able to practice their newly learned conversational skills in Spanish with other fluent speakers.
What advice might you have for new students entering the program?
Guadalupe Martinez, Marketing & Social Media Liaison – When I first started my program in Spring 2019, I had little to no experience in a library environment and was nervous to start my courses. If I could go back in time with what I know now, I would have challenged myself to take more technical classes earlier. I had community service and youth programming experience, so I leaned into classes on management, programming and diverse services. These were awesome courses! However, I was behind on terminology, best practices, and standards. I encourage new students, especially those without any experience, to confidently jump into courses like INFO 232 Cataloging & Classification, INFO 256 Archives & Manuscripts, and INFO 266 Collection Management. All of these courses are also great to mention to employers when job hunting in lieu of library experience!
Sophia LaMonica, Secretary/Treasurer – My advice for new students entering the program is to join a student group. I found REFORMA SJSU iSchool Student & Alumni Group to be a unique opportunity to meet fellow like-minded students, as well as to network with working librarians and professionals in LIS. Serving as Secretary has introduced me to a community of new friends and potential colleagues, and polished up latent leadership skills– it also provided plenty of relevant experience to draw upon during the development of my e-portfolio.
Stephanie Duran, Membership Coordinator – My advice to new students entering the MLIS program is to take it slow. A lot of students want to start the program and overload on classes and that’s fine if they have the time and a good work-life balance but many student’s aren’t aware that the MLIS program is pretty rigorous work if you are applying all of your time and effort into it. In order to get the most out of the MLIS program my suggestion is to not be in such a hurry to finish but rather take time to enjoy your time in the MLIS program, join student groups, and attend as many ischool events as possible.
Lizette Lizardi, Webmaster – I would say the key to success is self-care and planning. Self-care means taking care of yourself physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. Self-care may look like different things on different days. One day it might look like taking a relaxing bath or eating a healthy meal while another day it might look like spending a wild night out with friends and eating fast-food. Know what makes you feel joy, return to peace, and wind down; and then do one of those things every day. Make sure you don’t spend all day in front of a screen or on your phone. My other advice is to create an organization system that works for you. There’s going to be deadlines, events you’ll want to attend, and personal things you’ll need to do. Having a good organization system will keep you from becoming overwhelmed. I personally use a combination of organizational tools: I use a planner to loosely sketch out my day, to-do-lists to write down specific tasks for each class, and a Google calendar to keep track of all the school events I want to attend.
What has been your favorite course at the iSchool?
Ana Arevalo, Marketing & Social Media Liaison – My favorite course at the ischool has been Cultural Competence for Information Professionals. The course taught me about equity, diversity, and inclusion. As global leaders, we need to understand how personal, institutional, and structural biases affect underserved and marginalized communities. Promoting programs and services for diverse communities ensures social justice for Spanish-speaking and Latinx communities.
Stephanie Duran, Membership Coordinator – My favorite course was definitely INFO 275 Library Services for Ethnically Diverse Communities. This class encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone and visit local businesses (which I normally wouldn’t have otherwise) in order to get a feel of my community. It was the first class in which I created a LibGuide and it also gave me a better understanding on how to better implement and assess the informational needs of ethnically diverse communities. In addition, my professor Dr. Rebmann was absolutely fantastic, she was very knowledgeable and passionate about the subject matter she taught which in turn made learning from her truly enjoyable.
Sophia LaMonica, Secretary/Treasurer – My favorite course was Info 256 Archives & Manuscripts with Erin Lawrimore. It was probably the most work I have ever done, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and the extra-credit assignment to interview an archivist was an exceptional opportunity. The assignments were challenging, thought-provoking, and provided a lot of evidence for my e-portfolio.
Rosa Rodriguez, President – I have taken some awesome courses but one that I really enjoyed was a WISE course on storytelling last spring. I learned so much from the course that I was able to apply some of the skills to my job. I also created family history videos about my parents. I created stories of my parents using images, videos, music, graphics, and sound effects. My family enjoyed viewing the short videos. It was such a great feeling to be able to share our family history through video storytelling.
Questions for SJSU iSchool Alumni
What do you miss most/least about the iSchool?
Gretchen McLaughlin, Alumni Liaison – Although this is the first semester I have not enrolled in the iSchool, I must admit that I already miss the acute access to professors/instructors. Realize, early on, the great opportunities and support you can maintain when you develop professional and personal relationships with your instructors. A SJSU iSchool letter of recommendation goes a long way in the career search process!
What did the iSchool provide that has been invaluable in your current role?
Gretchen McLaughlin, Alumni Liaison – Don’t ignore the endless email invitations to consider a professional internship (INFO 294). This practical experience, coupled with theory, compels current employers to seriously consider you for a position. Find the time to work on an internship during your coursework!
Sonia Bautista, Alumni Liaison – When I attended SJSU, it was my first online learning experience. I learned how to communicate and experience the difficulties of not being in the same room. This helped me in my first job where I had to deal with other professionals across different library systems and even across the country. I felt group projects, even though difficult to coordinate at times, helped me prepare to deal with many people.
Is there a professional project you have completed or will complete that you would like to share with our iSchool community?
Sonia Bautista, Alumni Liaison – I am currently very much involved in one of the projects LA REFORMA is taking part in. This is the Children in Crisis project. A few members of the chapter have committed to visiting the Pomona Fairplex Grounds, which part of the grounds have been converted as a detention center for unaccompanied minors. We visit and read stories, sing songs, and share crafts with the children. We also help sort books, which have been donated to the center to build a library. Please reach out to me if anyone is interested in this project.
